微密圈

鈥淪o we鈥檙e talking about whether the industry has a drink problem, right?鈥� says John, ripping his tie off and slinging it on the back of a chair. There鈥檚 a glint in his eye: 鈥淲e鈥檇 better get the whisky chasers in then 鈥� helps me think more clearly.鈥�

This, fortunately, is a joke and his colleagues fall about laughing. Robin is the first to recover. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like it was when I first started, 20 years ago,鈥� he says, soberly. David and Lee sneak each other a knowing look while John nods sagely. 鈥淭here was a lot more boozing in those days,鈥� continues Robin.

John agrees and proceeds to recount his own experiences of the industry鈥檚 in-their-eyes-now-cured alcohol obsession.

鈥淲hen I first started, everyone was a hardened drinker. They used to go on all evening. The foremen would drink all night and then go on site the next day.鈥�

He pauses, suddenly enlightened, and adds: 鈥淪o that means they must have still been drunk on site the next morning. That鈥檚 dangerous, that is鈥︹€�

He trails off, lost in thought.

David is indignant that his counterparts across the industry are looked upon by the outside world as a bunch of alcoholic ne鈥檈r-do-wells. 鈥淚f you look at the finance industry, they have a much bigger problem than us 鈥� especially with drugs,鈥� he argues.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably because we are poorer,鈥� John quips.

But David won鈥檛 be put off. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been offered drugs at work or any industry do, but I have when I鈥檓 with my finance friends.鈥�

Lee, who has been observing quietly from the corner, thinks he knows why the industry, apparently, doesn鈥檛 drink as much now. 鈥淭here are more breakfast meetings these days,鈥� he decrees. The others couldn鈥檛 agree more.

Lee continues: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very macho industry so people used to drink a lot. But now it鈥檚 unacceptable to come back to work drunk, so the days of boozy lunches are gone.鈥�

鈥淚t is harder these days not to come back to the office and carry on working after lunch,鈥� David interjects.

As 微密圈 buys a second round, the conversation turns to the Como team鈥檚 pet subject 鈥� sustainability.

鈥淭his carbon offset thing,鈥� Robin begins. 鈥淚t鈥檚 bit of a fudge, isn鈥檛 it?鈥�

And they鈥檙e off. Over the next few drinks, it鈥檚 pencils made from recycled plastic, compulsory two-sided photocopying and a ban on air-conditioning in the office.

鈥淥n the few days a year when it鈥檚 too hot for no air-con, we just send someone on an ice cream run,鈥� explains David. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fine after that.鈥�

Strangely, this topic elicits much more enthusiasm from them than chats about booze and women. Perhaps the industry really has changed after all 鈥�